Spring-tire.



G. MILLER.

SPRING TIRE. APPLIUATION FILED MAY 23, 1914.

1,125,864 Patented Jan. 19, 1915.

A3 /7 I 3 ,5 l 1 l nuew foz- Meson men GEORGE neurons, or snrrano, new sons.

SEEKING frnn Specification of letters letsnt.

Patented Jan, in, 191e I Application'filcd May 23, 191%. serial No. 840,573.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE Minter, a

"citizen of the United States, residing at plane of the Wheel, in

I means for closing the Budalo, in the county of Erieand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Spring-Tires, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in resilient tires for wheels of all classes of vehicles, and aims to provide a novel and improved tire which shall be capable ofsupplanting the ordinary pneumatic tire, which shall have the good characteristics and qualities of such tires, and which shall also eliminate the objectionable featuresthereof.

The main object of my invention is to provide in combination with the folly of the wheel, and a tire spaced therefrom, a

novel yielding or spring structure between the folly and the tire permitting the tire to yield in various directions in the vertical connection with space between the folly andthe tire and for constraining the tire against lateral displacement, and at the same time permitting the tire to yield in an easy manner.

Another ob ect ofmy invention is to do away with the necessity of using rubber.

tires by providing a'tire made up of rigid material which is so constructed that the same can be applied to almost any wheel now in use.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a tireof extremely simple, strong, durable and eiiicient construction, which can be manufactured at a small cost, efi'ective in operation, and which will embody to a marked degree the requisite characteristics of resiliency without being open to the many objections incidental to the use of tires of the pneumatic type. i

A further object of my invention is to provide a spring tire having a series of springs of peculiar form so constructed and arranged that the strain of the weight of the vehicle is distributed over a number of the springs. T he springs are also arranged in such a manner as to permit their removal in case one should break and another easily and readily put in its place.

With the foregoing general objects mentioned, and other objects in view which will appear hereafter, the invention resides in the combinations and arrangements of parts and in the details of construction. herein;

after described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of the claims Without de'partingfrom the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure l is a part elevation. and part section ofa portion of'a wheel embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of Fig. 1 in a plane transverse to the wheel axis.

The reference number 1 designates the spoke of a wheel and 2 the folly thereof.

3 designates an annular metallic binder suitably secured to the rim, said rim having notched portions dthroughout its periphery.

l3-shape bars 5 are secured in the notched portions 4: of the rim 2 by means of the binder 3, the said .bars having suitable bolt,

members 6 and 7. The member 6 has any integral tread port1on8 one side of which is provided with a shoulder 9 against which the tire 10 is compressed by the member 7, as will be hereinafter explained, The member '2' isprovided at its outer edgewith an undercut 11 and adapted to receive the tread portion 8 of the member 6, the tread portion 8 having a bearing on a shoulder 12 formed at the bottom of the undercut ll.

13 is a' bolt which passes through an opening in the member 7 and has screw threaded engagement with member 6 as at 14, whereby the two members of the casing are firmly secured together and the tire 10 rigidly clamped therebetween. The upper end of the casing members 6 and having a sliding bearing on the outer faces of the U-shape bars 5.

i Vithin thecasing I mount a, series of cushion springs, which are spaced bodily apart and each spring is secured at one point to the casing, by means of the bolt 13, and to the telly by meansof the bolt 15, mounted in the U-shape bar 5, so that while the casing is free to move bodily in the vertical plane of the wheel, it is held against relative peripheral movement with same construction, of one will suflice; The compression spring is composed of a single piece of fiat spring therefore a description the remainin metal bent upon itself to form a member 16 and amember 17; the member 17 is given a curvature concentric with the periphery of the binder i for a portion of its length, portion thereof being defiected toward, and having a sliding hearing on, the poaion 1.6. The free end of the portion M3 is rebent to form an eye 18 through which the bolt 13 passc.-:. whereby,

the spring is anchored to the casing. The

spring is anchored to the telly by means of the bolt 15 passing between the members 16 and 17 and lying snug within the rebent portion 19 of the spring.

In operation pre sure exerted on the cars ing, incident to its contact with road surface, or an obstruction, and the shock incident to such pressure is first communicated to, and partially absorbed by, the member 20 16 of the spring, the shock being further the shock is tion of its length, against the periphery of the binder 3 as will be readily understood. The shock to any one of the springs is, to a certain degree, absorbed by all of the y springs more 011 less. What I claim is:

'1. In a wheel the combination With a heel and a hollow tread"casing mounted on the wheel and free to slide in the vertical plane of the Wheel of a series of cushion springs disposed in said casing and bodily spaced apart; said springs each comprising a single l'lat body bent upon itself to form spaced members, one member having a portion thereoi deflected toward the other and having a sliding bearing on the other member. the said other member beirg anchored to the casing while the spring is ai-ichoied at the jointurc of the two members to the wheel.

2. In a-wheel the combination with spokes and av felly rigidly secured thereto, and having a notched. portion, of a U-shape bar in said notched portion of the folly, a binder securing said U-shaped bar in said notched portion, said U-shape bar having bolt openings in alinement with each other, a fiat spring boltedat one end in said U-shape bar and having a portion of its inner section bearing on the felly, a casing section comprising a tread portion and a side portion, said tread portion'having a shoulder against which a tire is compressed by a sec- 0nd casing section, secured at its outer end to the first named casing section, a bolt securing said sections together, the other end of the spring being anchored to said bolt, the. inner ends of said casing sections having a sliding contact with the said folly.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE MILLER.

Witnesses:

Enwin S. CLAnKsoN, Jons C. KERN. 

